Macron Plans a Self-Care Staycation as His Poll Numbers Collapse

Spokespeople insist there’s nothing to see here: “Like millions of French people, it can happen that the President of the Republic takes a few days [off].” Others have speculated that the impetus is more sinister.

Seventeen months into his presidency, Emmanuel Macron’s habit of texting staff in the middle of the night seems to have taken a toll. After a year of ceaseless micromanagement, the 40-year-old French leader has cleared his schedule for a 4-day break ahead of an impending 6-day tour to commemorate the First World War’s centenary—a vacation Macron’s allies insist is perfectly ordinary. “Like millions of French people, it can happen that the President of the Republic takes a few days [off],” said Benjamin Griveaux, according to Europe1. “For several days, friends have been urging him to rest, eat better and sleep better, but also to stop trying to control government life in the early hours of the night.” Though spokespeople are determined to frame Macron’s self-care hiatus as run-of-the-mill, others have speculated that the impetus is more sinister, coming as it does after an extended period of political scandals and poll-sliding. “His face has changed, he is marked by the weight of power,” a staff member toldLe Figaro. (A friend of Macron’s countered that he “has not changed one iota” since the election, that he is “always vigilant on all matters,” but is perhaps “a little tired.”)

Macron rose to power promising to energize the stagnant French economy, and to counter the march of the far right. But for French voters, who are naturally skeptical of any and all leadership, he has lost his sheen. According to a poll published Wednesday, only 26 percent have confidence in him, a 4 percent drop from last month. The slump is likely thanks to two inter-related problems. The first is that Macron, an ex-investment banker saddled with a hefty cosmetics bill and a volley of high-profile resignations, is widely perceived as arrogant—a perception not helped by the fact that he was recently caught on camera admonishing a teenager to address him as “Monsieur le Président.” This is exacerbated by the deepening belief that Macron’s reforms are geared toward supporting the wealthy, rather than buoying the working class. In a recent conversation with a group of pensioners who expressed concerns about their finances, he responded, “You may speak very freely, but the one thing you have no right to do is complain.”

Poor ratings and political defection won’t stop Macron from carrying out his reform program, which his aides insist is a long-term project. But with the Rassemblement National (formerly the National Front) lurking, his lack of public support could prove problematic ahead of the European Parliament’s elections in May, which are rapidly morphing into a crucial ideological battleground. Macron has framed himself as a proponent of economic liberalism in the mold of Angela Merkel, in direct opposition to Europe’s far-right leaders, some of whom enjoy support from Steve Bannon’s foundation, the Movement, which aims to propel populists into the parliament. “If they want to see me as their principal opponent, they are right. I will cede nothing to the nationalists and their language of hate,” he declared of Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s nationalist leader, and Italy’s populist deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini. But if Macron fails to win back the support of voters at home, there’s a danger he could deepen divisions with his own staunch rhetoric.

This is thorny territory, and Macron may soon be forced to traverse it without the guidance of Merkel, his most prominent ally, who is often seen as the unofficial leader of the E.U. As Merkel eyes an exit, the job of upholding liberal democracy against the populist horde may fall to Macron, if he can hold on to his lofty seat. Yet understanding and addressing the mistrust of elites is not an area where centrist leaders have historically excelled. If Macron is destined to become the E.U.’s most prominent champion, then perhaps it makes sense that the workaholic president should take a few days to recoup and mull his options.